(Senior) Director, Global Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

About Evidence Action

At Evidence Action, we deliver data-driven interventions that transform lives at an unprecedented scale. We identify neglected global health issues and deploy proven solutions, forging healthier futures for generations. Our model operationalizes leading academic research (including from Nobel-winning economists). We measure progress and outcomes at every stage to ensure we're making a real impact for people living in poverty and suffering from preventable or treatable health issues. Operating across 11 countries, our team of 900+ has reached over 500 million people, working closely with governments to scale these interventions. Our Deworm the World program has delivered over 2 billion treatments, significantly reducing worm prevalence and generating more than $23 billion in lifetime productivity gains. Through Safe Water Now, we've saved the lives of over 15,000 children.

The Role

Evidence Action was built on the belief that data should drive every important decision, from how programs are selected, designed, and delivered, to how resources are allocated and programs are scaled. We are constantly striving to strengthen our monitoring, learning, and evaluation (MLE) strategy across our global program portfolio, generating the evidence that underpins program delivery at scale, piloting and launching new programs, and significant exit decisions affecting millions of people we serve. For us, MLE is more than an audit function; it is the foundation upon which we learn, adapt, and grow.

The recent monitoring issues on our Dispensers for Safe Water program revealed the need to strengthen this foundation across our complex global portfolio. As we continue to iterate and our ambitions grow to scale proven programs and develop new ones, we are investing in senior MLE leadership to drive and deliver organizational direction on data-led decision-making, and actively balance the rigor, cost and speed trade-offs across the portfolio.

In this role, you will lead the continued evolution of our MLE approach, ensuring our systems, structures, and external presence reflect the scale of what we are building. You will lead organizational MLE strategy, lead from the front, and provide senior functional leadership and technical supervision to the MLE team. You will also lead and develop the Global MLE Teams, provide senior external and organizational leadership, and manage from the trenches with the regional MLE leaders on implementation challenges and structural issues.

How You'll Make an Impact

• Lead Organizational MLE Strategy

• Lead from the front

• Evaluate existing evidence in partnership with program teams

• Stress-test hypotheses and assess credible pathways to impact at scale

• Develop stage-appropriate evaluation plans

• Quantitatively model the expected outcomes of potential new programs

• Ensure consistent iteration and rigorous application of agreed protocols throughout the program lifecycle

• Lead cross-portfolio MLE review as a near-term organizational priority

• Lead organization-wide data-driven decision making

• Engage across the matrix to ensure MLE is embedded from the earliest stages of program lifecycle

• Lead and Develop the Global MLE Teams

• Provide senior functional leadership and technical supervision to the MLE team

• Develop team members' capabilities and contribute to their professional growth

• Oversee the Global MLE budget

• Manage from the trenches with the regional MLE leaders on implementation challenges and structural issues

• Lead and Develop the Global MLE Teams

• Provide senior external and organizational leadership

• Engage with external reviewers, vendors, and consultants

• Partner closely with Cost-Effectiveness and other internal evidence functions

• Communicate MLE progress, methodology, and organizational learning to board and donors

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in monitoring, learning, and evaluation
• Significant hands-on experience of leading a rigorous quantitative function enabling data-driven decision-making in the global health/development context
• Ability to work with technical and program implementation teams to negotiate data-led decisions on direct program implementation and technical assistance to governments
• 5+ years, ideally in a senior leadership role within a matrixed organization
• In-field experience is highly desirable
• PhD or a comparable mix of advanced training and high-end technical experience in a relevant field (economics, statistics, public health, or other quantitatively focused disciplines)
• Expertise in program evaluation design and analysis; including statistically rigorous impact evaluations, process evaluations, and mixed-methods approaches
• Real-world experience managing large-scale quantitative evaluations from design through dissemination
• Demonstrated track record of implementing effective team structures, developing Directors or senior leaders, and strengthening leadership bench capacity
• Established networks across the MLE and leadership communities of peer and partner organizations, including philanthropies, evidence-driven implementation organizations in our regions, and government stakeholders
• Track record of external thought leadership through publications, conference presentations, or similar platforms
• Clear orientation toward implementation over theory in being able to make tough choices from a range of possible options
• Experience of leading from the front at evidence-driven organizations, across global health or development
• Embraces ambiguity to make transformational changes we need
• Focused on solving today's challenges, innovating for tomorrow's needs, exploring new markets, and taking bold risks while communicating tradeoffs
• Technical Communication: Can switch communication styles between external and internal MLE specialists, donors, board, and non-technical audiences to have effective conversions and drive decisions

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits for this role will be commensurate with the role specifications, local statutory requirements, and the cost of labor in the markets where we operate. For the United States: The expected role range for this US position is listed below. We consider multiple factors when determining the base salary for a role, including but not limited to: role scope, program budgets, internal equity, and a candidate's qualifications and/or prior experience. The US based expected pay range for this role is $155,000 - $185,000 per year.